How are ‘Business Intelligence’ and ‘Data Warehouse’ connected, and why should you care? As Business Intelligence experts with 20+ years of experience, we get asked this question a lot. If you run an organization, you should care. Both Business Intelligence and Data Warehouses are critical when it comes to analysing user behaviours and patterns. The two are related, but they’re not one and the same. Without further ado, let’s take a look at what they are.

1. Business Intelligence. Often abbreviated to BI, Business Intelligence refers to a set of tools and methods that help organizations understand their performance and make more informed, growth-driven decisions. With the right data, you can identify new opportunities for growth – ones you probably never thought of. BI tells you exactly what your business has experienced, is experiencing, and could experience in the future – in the form of dashboards, reports, and so on.
2. Data Warehouse. DW is, quite simply, a “warehouse of databases” – a collection of data from multiple sources. DW is intricately related to BI, seeing as DW underpins BI so organizations can make better decisions backed by education. Think of a Data Warehouse as a massive building where all sorts of things are stored. Intelligent algorithms, such as indexing, are used to swiftly find and retrieve data as needed.

Both Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse are common concepts in the realm of data analytics. Unfortunately, many people misuse them interchangeably – even those who work in data analysis!

Long story short, data is stored in the Data Warehouse, and BI systems use that data to apply specific metrics, monitor performance, and produce invaluable predictive analytics. It’s simple, really. Now you know the difference, feel free to share your newfound insight with others – and don’t forget to share this blog to clear the air online!